1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present documents relate generally to electrical boxes for outlets, connectors, wires and switches, and more specifically to electrical boxes designed for coupling after a wall has been built directly to a planar wall covering material such as drywall or paneling rather than to a wall internal structure like a stud.
2. Background Art
Electrical boxes, also called box or boxes herein, are known in the art. Such conventional electrical boxes typically consist of a generally box-shaped structure that is mounted to a wall stud or other interior wall structure via one or more nails, screws, or other fastening devices. The box contains an opening for an electrical device or connector that is typically installed within the box after the box is mounted within a wall. Fastener holes are typically provided as openings in the box to allow the box to be fastened to a wall stud.
An electrical box typically includes an opening adjacent to the planar wall surface. If an electrical box needs to be installed after the wall covering has been added, a nonconventional electrical box must be used to avoid damaging the wall covering. Challenges associated with typical installation of an electrical box in an existing wall may include: locating an interior wall stud, placing the electrical box in a specific and convenient location, and then anchoring the electrical box securely in the wall without causing undesirable damage to the wall surface.
One particular prior art solution involves a rotating “flipper” that rotates from a first position flush with an outside surface of the box approximately 90 degrees to a second position in which the flipper extends perpendicularly from the outside surface of the box. By the installer turning a metal screw on the front of the box, typically with a power tool else the process is very long, the flipper moves along the outside surface of the box toward its front until the flipper contacts a back surface of the wall covering and clamps the wall covering between a front rim of the box and the flipper.